Pithon
is something of a legend in Anjou, although in relation to some of the other great names associated with
the Coteaux du Layon, he is a relative newcomer. He established his
domaine close to St Lambert-sur-Lattay in 1978, building up his vineyard
holdings over the next thirty years to 25 hectares across five
appellations, including one hectare of Chenin planted in 2000 within La
Croix Picot. However, in an attempt to finance his more recent growth,
Pithon brought in a partner in 2005 by way of Philippe Fournier, the CEO
of Afone, a telecommunications service company based in Angers. In 2007, Fournier employed the services of consultant winemaker Stéphane
Derenoncourt, primarily to oversee his latest investment at Château de
Chamboureau. However, Derenoncourt’s brief was soon widened to include
the wines of Domaine Jo Pithon, which subsequently and understandably led
to some friction between the various protagonists and saw Pithon walking
out of the domaine in late January 2008, losing, at the same time, the
right to his own name.

From
2009, the Domaine Jo Pithon no longer exists since both Château de
Chamboureau and Domaine Jo Pithon have been placed under a single umbrella
company: the innocuous sounding Domaine FL.

Pithon
has since set up a new négociant- éleveur company with his step-son, Joseph Paillé under the
name Pithon-Paillé. In conjunction with Pithons wife Isabelle, and
Josephs South African born wife Wendy, they are operating as négociant-eleveurs,
cultivating five hectares of their own vineyards around Anjou, plus 0.25 hectares
rented in Roche-aux-Moines (they are currently buying fruit from an
unnamed vigneron). The first vintage was 2008 and vinified at Château La
Fresnaye in the Layon.

Wine
Overview:

The
wines are fermented and aged in barrel before bottling. The 2005 and 2006 vintage of La Croix Picot
saw a proportion of new
oak and were bottled around July following the vintage.

In
addition to Savennières (which represents only a small part of their
production), the new venture is also vinifying Anjou Blanc and Rouge,
Coteaux du Layon as well as some Chinon and Bourgueil.

The
Wines:

There
is clearly a sign of Pithon’s winemaking style here. They are big, rich
and showy; impressive on first taste, but become a little fatiguing after
a while. The 2005 and 2006 below are from the era of Domaine Jo Pithon,
whilst more recent examples are under the new Pithon-Paille label.

2006
Savennières ‘La Croix Picot’

Pale
straw appearance. The oak dominates the nose.
This is clearly a more modern style. Faintly high toned and shows some
residual sugar on the palate. Quite firm and mineral behind. This is a bit
short and gives the impression that the wood has almost dried out the
wine. Bitter twist to the finish. This is a bit overdone for my taste. The
wine underwent full malolactic fermentation. Drinking now and should hold
for a few more years. (02/08)

2005
Savennières ‘La Croix Picot’

Deep
appearance. Yellow/gold. Broad, floral nose. Rich and creamy on the nose
with obvious coconut aromas from the oak. Mid-full in entry. Taut, with
good minerality. Well focused and builds well with a good phenolic bite to
the finish. The oak is better integrated on the palate with a vein of
minerality running through the wine. Persistent finish. Youthful, but
approachable now. This will evolve further. (04/08)